“‘I’ll tell you later,’ André would answer.
“Well, later never came, and Hogan kept coming to me, ‘Oh my God, am I going to win this thing?’
“‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ I kept saying. ‘It’s all set, it’s all set.’
“Finally I got Hogan in my room the night before the event, and that’s when André let him know what was going to go down.
“After André told Hogan what he was going to do, there was a big hug and all that kind of stuff. And then, here we go.”
TIM WHITE: “This is how cool André was. We stopped on our way to the Silver-dome and went to Lindell’s AC and had a couple of beers. Ninety-three thousand people lining up, and it was just business as normal for him.
“People were coming to me that day, ‘Is he gonna do it? Is he gonna do it?’ He was sitting there naked, playing cards with Arnie, with ninety-three thousand people out there, and honestly they didn’t know if he was gonna do the finish or not till about eight minutes before they went to the ring.
“This is just what I witnessed, but Hogan was sweating the whole day. I think André was just holding court, like, ‘Know this. Before I make you the guy, remember that I’m the guy, and always have been.’”
VINCE MCMAHON: “I was the only person that knew what was going to go on. Because of his personality, André would not have shared that with anyone. That’s how closed he was in terms of the business back in the day. It wasn’t anybody else’s business. He also enjoyed a little bit of playing around. I mean, he knew that everybody wanted to know.
“All I knew was the finish. That’s all I knew. That’s all I cared to know. I knew André was going to take care of Hogan, he wasn’t going to hurt him. I knew André was going to do the job for me, my dad, for the business, and for himself. But other than that, I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
TIM WHITE: “About ten minutes before the match, André started tying up his boots, and Vince said, ‘Who do you want for a referee?’ He said, ‘Joey [Marella].’ Then he got into the cart with Bobby Heenan and it was time to go.”
Stare-down before the Main Event, WrestleMcnia III.
March 29, 1987: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, MI
WRESTLEMANIA III
Vince McMahon visits the locker room for a prematch interview with Hogan.
“Heavyweight Champion of the World,” says McMahon, “in the locker room, just one hour away from his moment of destiny.”
Hogan takes a deep breath. “Well, you know, they said it was my last ride, man. Yesterday when I finished hangin’ and bangin’, when I jumped on the Harley, man, as I went through the intersection, as I headed for the mountains, some of the nonbelievers in the gym said, ‘See ya later, Hulksterman. This is your last ride.’ It ate me alive, brothers. When I felt the fury as I ripped, as I tore the shirt [ripping and tearing off his shirt, Vince grimacing while holding the mic], as I headed for the sunset, man, I looked down, brothers, and as the sun beamed off the gold in my eyes [holding his cross], I realized that sooner or later you gotta live and die and you gotta face the truth.
“And for you, André the Giant, it’s time to face the truth, brother. Because when I think about what you and I have to do, man, what I have to do is nothin’. All I have to do is merely beat a seven-foot-four, 550-pound giant. But André, you gotta face the truth, brother. In its purest form, man! The purest truth there is, man! The training, the saying the prayers, the eating the vitamins.
“And to beat me, man, you’ve gotta beat every Hulkamaniac, every little Hulkster in the world, everyone that plays it straight, all the ones that don’t take any shortcuts, brother. And they usually say, if the dirty air don’t get ya, the politicians will. But in this case, it’s gonna be Hulkamania. And the reason it’s going to get you, man, it’s the purest form of the truth there is. And I can’t wait to see you go down at the feet of Hulkamania in front of 90,000-plus in the Silverdome. Whatcha gonna do, André the Giant, when the real truth, the 24-inch pythons, and Hulkamania runs wild on you?”
Later, Mean Gene interviews André and Heenan.
“With me at this time, manager Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan,” introduces Okerlund. “And I’m privileged to be standing next to the most extraordinary athlete of all time. He is not elected, until this date, to challenge Hulk Hogan for the heavyweight championship. And this afternoon at WrestleMania III, Bobby Heenan, your man, André the Giant, will be doing just that.”
“You bet he’s going to be doing just that,” Heenan says. “He’s going to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World, and I’ll tell you why. First of all, the man is undefeated in over fifteen years as a professional athlete. Hulk Hogan has never been in the ring or met a man bigger than him, stronger than him, taller than him, that weighs more than him, and with a burning will inside more than André the Giant.
“You see, Hogan, a few short hours from now that clock is ticking. And it’s ticking in our direction, not yours. Hulkamania is over. Hulkamania is dead. The door’s going to be shut on the history books of Hulk Hogan once and for all. There is a new Heavyweight Champion of the World. The odds-on favorite in Las Vegas and all over the whole wrestling world, they’re picking André the Giant. Nobody can defeat this man. Nobody even can come close to defeating this man. And Hogan, I know it’s happening to you now because it’s happening to me. The butterflies are in my stomach. The adrenaline’s flowing through my veins and I’m getting ready. ’Cause I’m gonna manage the Heavyweight Champion of the World. And Hogan, hey, you’ve had three good years. You’ve got nothing to look back on. But it’s all over. André the Giant, the new Heavyweight Champion of the World.”
“The biggest heavyweight title bout of all time,” Mean Gene declares. “André the Giant to meet Hulk Hogan.”
As the main event approaches, Mean Gene interviews André and Heenan once more.
“And André the Giant, just moments away from now you’re stepping through the ropes and into the ring to meet Hulk Hogan, in the biggest title match of all time. I want to get your thoughts.”
“Gene, you see me now,” rumbles André. “And I’m going to the ring, and believe me, it’s not going to take me too long to come back right in front of the camera with the World Championship belt around my waist.”
“Bobby?”
“Oh, I can feel it. Oh, the adrenaline’s going! This man right here is gonna make me famous. He’s gonna become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. And I’m gonna go down in the history books as the manager of the World Heavyweight Champion. I’m ready! Hogan, you better be ready!”
Right before the match, Mean Gene goes for a final thought from Hogan.
“Moments away from the biggest heavyweight title defense of this man ever,” says Okerlund. “Hulk Hogan, you’ve gotta be ready.”
“Well, you know, I hope Pontiac, Michigan, recovers, man,” says the Hulkster. “I’m glad I snuck in early last night, brother. I didn’t realize the interstates, the Pontiac Silverdome, was in danger. Not the 90,000-plus on the inside. It’s the 90,000-plus on the outside of the Silverdome. Those are the ones I’m worried about. Because when I get my hands on that big nasty giant. When he faces the truth. When he feels the wrath of Hulkamania. The day the whole earth is gonna shake. What are those 90,000-plus Hulkamaniacs on the outside gonna think? I’m not worried about the people at the closed circuit. I’m not worried about the people all around the world. They’ll see it! But the intensity of Hulkamania. The way it’s turned this whole state upside down. The way the whole world’s turned upside down. What are they gonna think, when the giant hits the ground, he feels the wrath of Hulkamania, and the whole world shakes at my feet?”
“We could conceivably blow the roof off this great facility, the Silverdome,” Okerlund says as Hogan shows off the pythons.
After weeks of promotion, the match, at last, is ready to begin. Ring announcer Howard Finkel introduces the special guest ring announcer, Bob Uecker. “Mr. Baseball” comes out in his cart
and is escorted to the ring by two lovely women. Uecker brings out special guest timekeeper, Mary Hart.
At last, Uecker introduces André and Heenan (wearing white tie and tails adorned with gold rhinestones). They come out in the cart amid a rain of debris. As the cart travels to the ring, they are literally pelted with trash from the angry fans.
The crowd is out of control, cheering for Hogan, who walks out on his own.
“This is the biggest match in the history of professional wrestling,” says Ventura.
Mary Hart rings the bell, and the stare-down begins. André wears the cold face as Hogan, already Hulking up, says something known only to the two wrestlers. André responds with a shove, which Hogan returns. A right is blocked by Hogan, who nails André with three rights of his own. He reaches between André’s legs and attempts a slam, but André falls on top of the champ for a two-count from ref Joey Marella.
Hogan crawls away, favoring his back, as André insists he had the champ pinned for three. André gets up and plants a kick to Hogan’s kidneys. He goes to work on Hogan’s back with his forearms, demanding Hogan get up each time he sends him to the canvas. A kneelift and a bodyslam continue the damage to the champ’s lower back. Garbage rains into the ring as André scoops Hogan up for another slam. The Giant walks across Hogan, pausing a moment to put his full weight on the lower back.
“Get up,” insists André.
The Giant lifts Hogan by the back of his trunks and whips him into the turnbuckles. He takes a wrist and whips him across the ring to the opposite corner. Hogan drops to his knees, holding on to the second ropes.
“What do you think of your champion now?” mocks André before lifting Hogan upright for a choke and shoulderblock.
“Again! Again!” shouts Heenan, and the Giant happily obliges.
André turns and squashes Hogan, driving his butt back with full force. Heenan calls for a headbutt, and André delivers. André throttles Hogan by his traps and attempts a headbutt, but Hogan slips away. He throws two rights, shoots off the ropes for a third roundhouse right. He goes off the ropes again, this time hitting an elbow. André teeters into the corner, where Hogan delivers a number of chops. He reaches up and with two hands, takes André’s head and plants it into the top turnbuckle ten times.
Hogan nods to the crowd as André stands, dazed. He comes off the ropes for another elbow, but André raises his size-22 boot and catches Hogan smack under the chin.
“Are you all right?” asks Heenan.
André nods and rights Hogan with a handful of hair. A chop staggers Hulk further, and André locks his arms around Hogan for the bearhug, Hogan pulls at André’s hair, at his shoulderstrap, to no avail. André squeezes, preventing Hogan from breathing and doing more damage to his lower back.
Hogan wilts and drops his arm. Marella raises it twice, and on the third, it stays aloft.
A dozen hard rights to André’s head finally break the hold, but André maintains a grip in Hogan’s tights. Hogan goes off the ropes, but his tackle barely budges the Giant. A second one pushes André a couple of steps, but he stays standing. On his third try, Hogan is planted by a chop. He whips him into the ropes and sends him flying out through the ropes with a big boot. André follows and chops him against the ringpost. He goes for a headbutt, but Hogan ducks and the Giant hits his own head—showing an awful lot of light.
Hogan lifts up the mats as André reels. He pulls André to the exposed concrete—wood, actually—and tries for a piledriver. The Giant reverses it and backdrops Hogan to the floor. André throws him back into the ring, and then rolls back in himself.
Hogan is whipped into the ropes but avoids the boot, comes off the opposite side with a clothesline that drops André to the mat. Heenan tends to André as Hogan sits straight, beginning to Hulk up. They both rise to their feet, and Hogan scoops up André for the slam. He hits the legdrop and covers—one, two, three—at 12:01.
“I never thought it could be done, Gorilla,” says Jesse Ventura.
Hogan raises the belt high and thanks the guy upstairs. He lays the belt across the mat and challenges André to come back in as “Real American” plays.
André and a dejected Heenan get into the cart, debris and garbage flying at them from all sides.
BOBBY HEENAN: “Everybody said when I put my jacket over my head at WrestleMania it showed how demoralized I was that Andre didn’t get the job done, that this was probably my last shining moment, that I was crushed.
“Nope. The reason I put the jacket over my head was people were throwing cups and batteries and all kinds of stuff. I didn’t want to get my eye put out, so I put my coat over my head.”
With that, Hulk Hogan became the first person to beat André by pinfall or submission in the Giant’s fourteen years with World Wrestling Federation. He had, of course, been beaten a number of times throughout his career at this point. In his early days working the Quebec territory for Grand Prix, he was defeated by Killer Kowalski and Don Leo Jonathan to build up returns. Jerry Lawler beat him via countout in AWA, while feuds with the Sheik—who famously never lost in his native Detroit or Toronto—were blown off with his defeating André in gimmicked finishes. What’s more, André had even been bodyslammed on a number of occasions, by such wrestlers as Stan Hansen, NWA champion Harley Race, and lucha legend El Canek.
That said, the WrestleMania III slam was a momentous occurrence that received what’s generally acknowledged as the biggest crowd pop ever. On a 2006 installment of WWE.com’s Byte This, McMahon referred to it as “the most extraordinary moment in the history of the business.”
Hogan scoops up the Giant, WrestleMania III.
HULK HOGAN: “Before the match started, I told André I didn’t want to just beat him. I wanted to really give the people something they could tell their grandchildren. I wanted to bodyslam him. It was a crazy idea.”
VINCE McMAHON: “Please. His idea? He didn’t have any ideas in that match and he wasn’t supposed to. André told him what we were going to do, André called the slam. Hogan couldn’t have slammed him if he didn’t want him to. He couldn’t have slammed me if I didn’t want him to slam me, much less André.”
HOWARD FINKEL: “When Hogan picked André up and slammed him, that will go down as one of the single greatest moments in our business. It was an anointment. The guy who has never been slammed, never been taken off his feet, not even through chicanery or skullduggery.”
VINCE McMAHON: “Even though Hogan was a strong guy—he thinks he’s a lot stronger than he is—the question remained: Could he get André up for the slam? But when the time came, André just went up, I won’t say like a feather, but he just went right on up for the big slam and the one, two, three.”
HULK HOGAN: “When we got to that point in the match, my first move was to get my arm between his legs. . . . Then I had to get him to come toward me so I pushed him into the ropes, and as he came forward again I pulled him in and used his momentum to pick him up. . . . If you look at the tape of that match, you can see André’s knuckles were dragging on the ground when I picked him up. He was so damned big, his leg was almost as big as my whole body.
“But somehow, I slammed him.”
One million fans watched at over 160 closed-circuit venues across North America, while millions more ordered the show on home cable Pay-Per-View. The Pontiac Silverdome sold out two weeks in advance, ultimately drawing 93,173 fans, the largest recorded paid wrestling crowd ever and a world indoor attendance record that still stands today for any sports or entertainment event. The event was the first million-dollar live gate in history, as well as the biggest closed-circuit gate to date. In addition, WrestleMania III set a Pay-Per-View buy rate record that has yet to be equaled by a wrestling event.
Hogan’s victory was a true passing of the torch—from André, wrestling’s biggest star of the 1970s, to Hogan, wrestling’s biggest star of the 1980s. Faced with his failing physical condition, André was well aware that his best years were now behind him. Above all else,
he understood the wrestling business. If the time had come for André the Giant to pass the torch, then that match was damn well going to be something spectacular.
WrestleMania III was spectacular and more—a milestone match, in front of the biggest house in wrestling history, which, rather than closing the book on his career, only served to magnify the Giant’s legend.
10
The Princess Bride opened in theaters on September 25, 1987. The film received unanimous critical acclaim, with André’s performance singled out as one of the film’s undeniable highlights.
TIM WHITE: “Never in my life did I ever see him nervous or on edge. Everything was, ‘Okay, boss. Don’t worry about it, boss.’ ’Cause he ruled the world we were in. The only time I ever saw him nervous was at the premiere of The Princess Bride. I’ll never forget, it was at the Festival of Festivals in Toronto. It was just me and André, walking down the red carpet. I looked over at him, he was shaking. He was a nervous wreck about how people were gonna view him in this movie. I mean, he never worried a lick about wrestling—he’s the Boss. But now he stepped out of that world, and he’s gonna be judged by other actors and film people.
“When the movie finished, everybody stood and cheered, especially when they announced André. He was as proud as he was at WrestleMania III.”
KENNETH JOHNSON: “André’s performance is so sweet and delicious in that picture. It always tickled me when I saw it to remember that, hey man, I was there when he started out.”
André had always delighted in the crowd’s response during his matches. Not long after The Princess Bride had opened, he and Tim White slipped into a late screening of the film in order to get a first-person sense of how audiences were reacting to his performance.
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